Obituary of William C. Rhyne

Mr. William Clemmer �Bill� Rhyne, 83, of Linville, NC, formerly of Raleigh, NC, passed away on Saturday, July 11, at Cannon Memorial Hospital, Linville, NC, after a brief illness. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Marian Weddington Rhyne; two daughters, Linda Rhyne of Charlotte, NC; Candace Blackley and husband, Ron, of Apex, NC; one son, Steve Rhyne and wife, Amy, of Asheville, NC; 6 grandchildren, Heather, Patrick, Joshua, Emily, Julia and Abbey. He is also survived by two sisters, Frances Grissom of Memphis, TN, and Dorothy Kimbrell of Gastonia, NC; and a number of nieces and nephews. Bill was born on September 17, 1925, in Gastonia, NC, a son of the late Robert Love Rhyne and Annie Mae Clemmer. He graduated from Gastonia High School in 1943, having been the school photographer. Upon graduating from high school, he enlisted immediately in the U.S. Navy and served on the DE USS Halloran for 2 years in the Pacific, including engagements at Okinawa and Iwo Jima. After serving in the military, Bill graduated from NC State University in 1951 with a BS in Rural Sociology. He was an insurance agent in Charlotte and Lexington, NC, in the early l950�s. He established his own insurance agency in 1957 in Bradenton, FL, and then in 1964 moved to Raleigh, NC. In 1972 he founded Rhyne Associates, a property management company, with his wife. Bill was a member of Highland United Methodist Church, the Copa Dance Club and the Lords and Ladies Dance Club. In 1986, upon retirement, he moved to Linville Land Harbor, Linville, NC. Bill and Marian were square dancers and in recent years Bill came to love swing dancing and shagging. They were members of the Boone Shag Club, the Brushy Mountain Shag Club and the Sandy Beach Shag Club. He was an avid photographer, and in the recent past some of his work was displayed at various venues in the area. He donated a number of his photographs, now on display, to the Behavioral Health Center, Outpatient Unit at Cannon Memorial Hospital. Bill was also a volunteer at the hospital. He was a member of Newland United Methodist Church, where he served on several committees and was the �unofficial� church photographer. A memorial service to celebrate the life of William Clemmer �Bill� Rhyne will be held on Saturday, August 8, at 2 pm, at Newland United Methodist Church, Newland, NC. The family will receive visitors in the Fellowship Hall following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Newland United Methodist Church, Highway 194, Newland and Volunteer Avery, PO Box 447, Newland, NC 28657. Online condolences may be sent to the family at austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com. Austin & Barnes Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the Rhyne family.